Unlike in years past where we’ve asked you to email us five-minute scribbles in Microsoft Paint, this year we’ve simplified the submission process. You can create a card in any way you’d like: Photoshop, noodles, Vines, GIFs, YouTube, whatever. You can upload your file in the comments or put a link to it. Our commenting system, DISQUS, has a great explainer on how to properly upload JPEGs and link to all other rich media like GIFs, Youtube, Vine, and tweets.

We asked you, the deranged and lovely readers of RMNB, to congratulate our hero Alex Ovechkin on his 28th year of life. You had to make a birthday card. The only rule was that you had to use a cheap graphic editor to make it.

What we didn’t tell you is that we don’t have to follow the same rules. Above is our card for Ovi, via RMNB resident artist Rachel Cohen, who is awesome. Meanwhile, you guys knocked this assignment out of the park. Like Joel Rechlicz, you backhanded the puck past your limitations and blazed new trails of Art with a capital A. Cruise on down past the jump to check out the gallery.

We asked you, deranged and lovely readers of RMNB, to congratulate our hero Alex Ovechkin on his 27th year of life. You had to make a birthday card. The only rule was that you had to use a cheap graphic editor to make it.

We set out a task, faithful users of the Russian Machine, to create birthday cards worthy of our gut-less (wait, did that sound bad?) leader. The only rules: use an inferior graphics program to make it.

What we avoided telling you again this year was that we didn’t have to follow the same rules. Above, is our Penguin-Pinata card for Ovi via RMNB illustrator, Rachel Cohen.

Meanwhile, you guys rocked this assignment harder than a Bruce Boudreau fitness test. Unfortunately, only one of you could win our grand prize: a RMNB t-shirt and a Mr. Big Bar. Cruise on past the jump to check out the gallery.

We asked you, the noble hordes of the Russian Machine, to congratulate our hero Alex Ovechkin on his 25th year of life. You had to make a birthday card. The only rule was that you had to use a cheap graphic editor to make it.

What we didn’t tell you was that we didn’t have to follow the same rules. Above, is our card for Ovi via new RMNB illustrator, Rachel Cohen. Welcome to the team!

Meanwhile, you guys knocked this assignment out of the park. Like Shakespeare unto the sonnet, you transcended the limitations of the form and blazed new trails of Art with a capital A. Sad we are that only one of you shall win the grand prize. Cruise on down past the jump to check out the gallery.